diff --git a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtils.java b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtils.java
index d59d0ef63..58f70d4b6 100644
--- a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtils.java
+++ b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtils.java
@@ -48,6 +48,45 @@ public final class AlignmentUtils {
     // cannot be instantiated
     private AlignmentUtils() { }
 
+    /**
+     * Get the number of bases at which refSeq and readSeq differ, given their alignment
+     *
+     * @param cigar the alignment of readSeq to refSeq
+     * @param refSeq the bases of the reference sequence
+     * @param readSeq the bases of the read sequence
+     * @return the number of bases that differ between refSeq and readSeq
+     */
+    public static int calcNumDifferentBases(final Cigar cigar, final byte[] refSeq, final byte[] readSeq) {
+        int refIndex = 0, readIdx = 0, delta = 0;
+
+        for (final CigarElement ce : cigar.getCigarElements()) {
+            final int elementLength = ce.getLength();
+            switch (ce.getOperator()) {
+                case X:case EQ:case M:
+                    for (int j = 0; j < elementLength; j++, refIndex++, readIdx++)
+                        delta += refSeq[refIndex] != readSeq[readIdx] ? 1 : 0;
+                    break;
+                case I:
+                    delta += elementLength;
+                case S:
+                    readIdx += elementLength;
+                    break;
+                case D:
+                    delta += elementLength;
+                case N:
+                    refIndex += elementLength;
+                    break;
+                case H:
+                case P:
+                    break;
+                default:
+                    throw new ReviewedStingException("The " + ce.getOperator() + " cigar element is not currently supported");
+            }
+        }
+
+        return delta;
+    }
+
     public static class MismatchCount {
         public int numMismatches = 0;
         public long mismatchQualities = 0;
diff --git a/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtilsUnitTest.java b/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtilsUnitTest.java
index ae01c6c63..660dadc00 100644
--- a/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtilsUnitTest.java
+++ b/public/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/sam/AlignmentUtilsUnitTest.java
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ import org.testng.annotations.Test;
 import java.util.*;
 
 public class AlignmentUtilsUnitTest {
-    private final static boolean DEBUG = false;
+    private final static boolean DEBUG = true;
     private SAMFileHeader header;
 
     /** Basic aligned and mapped read. */
@@ -145,6 +145,34 @@ public class AlignmentUtilsUnitTest {
     }
 
 
+    @DataProvider(name = "CalcNumDifferentBasesData")
+    public Object[][] makeCalcNumDifferentBasesData() {
+        List<Object[]> tests = new ArrayList<Object[]>();
+
+        tests.add(new Object[]{"5M", "ACGTA", "ACGTA", 0});
+        tests.add(new Object[]{"5M", "ACGTA", "ACGTT", 1});
+        tests.add(new Object[]{"5M", "ACGTA", "TCGTT", 2});
+        tests.add(new Object[]{"5M", "ACGTA", "TTGTT", 3});
+        tests.add(new Object[]{"5M", "ACGTA", "TTTTT", 4});
+        tests.add(new Object[]{"5M", "ACGTA", "TTTCT", 5});
+        tests.add(new Object[]{"2M3I3M", "ACGTA", "ACNNNGTA", 3});
+        tests.add(new Object[]{"2M3I3M", "ACGTA", "ACNNNGTT", 4});
+        tests.add(new Object[]{"2M3I3M", "ACGTA", "TCNNNGTT", 5});
+        tests.add(new Object[]{"2M2D1M", "ACGTA", "ACA", 2});
+        tests.add(new Object[]{"2M2D1M", "ACGTA", "ACT", 3});
+        tests.add(new Object[]{"2M2D1M", "ACGTA", "TCT", 4});
+        tests.add(new Object[]{"2M2D1M", "ACGTA", "TGT", 5});
+
+        return tests.toArray(new Object[][]{});
+    }
+
+    @Test(enabled = true, dataProvider = "CalcNumDifferentBasesData")
+    public void testCalcNumDifferentBases(final String cigarString, final String ref, final String read, final int expectedDifferences) {
+        final Cigar cigar = TextCigarCodec.getSingleton().decode(cigarString);
+        Assert.assertEquals(AlignmentUtils.calcNumDifferentBases(cigar, ref.getBytes(), read.getBytes()), expectedDifferences);
+    }
+
+
     @DataProvider(name = "NumAlignedBasesCountingSoftClips")
     public Object[][] makeNumAlignedBasesCountingSoftClips() {
         List<Object[]> tests = new ArrayList<Object[]>();